Bruised & Battered
by SnerkyOne
Summary: Annie tries to keep Jimmy in the dark, but things don't exactly go as planned...    Takes place right after 1x11 - Betrayed.    Mild spoilers for that episode.
1. Chapter 1

Needless to say, I don't own Annie, Jimmy, or anything else Chase-related. I'm just borrowing them for a while, and promise to return them in mint condition when I'm done. Well, _mostly _mint-condition, anyway... :)

**Bruised & Battered,**  
**Chapter 1**

Annie Frost had a secret.

The woman who had taken down more hardened criminals in her ten-year career as a U.S. Marshal than the average big-city cop would in his lifetime was a closet romance novel addict.

It wasn't that she believed the fairytale-like stories; she knew from bitter experience that even if you did find your prince charming, it didn't mean you got to live happily ever-after. Life just didn't work that way.

Nonetheless, after spending her days dealing with the worse that society had to offer, she found the simplistic stories and happy endings - as unrealistic as though they may be - to be oddly therapeutic. For just a little while, she could immerse herself in worlds where nothing really bad ever happened, where arguments never degenerated into violence, where love did conquer all...

Considering the day she's just had, she certainly deserved an hour soaking in the tub with a glass of white wine and her latest acquisition. Turning on the faucet, she checked that the water was as hot as it was going to get, then poured some eucalyptus oil into the tub, sighing blissfully as she inhaled the relaxing vapors.

While the tub filled with water, she made a quick trip to the kitchen, pouring herself a generous glass of wine from the open bottle in the fridge, then grabbed a book hidden under a pile of dishcloths. While this might seem an odd place to keep reading material, she knew it was the one place her team mates would never go near - god forbid they should do dishes! - so it was as safe as it got. She knew she'd never live it down if they ever found out her predilection for bodice rippers.

Jimmy knew her secret, of course.

Then again, Jimmy knew pretty much everything about her, secrets and all...

She made her way back to the bathroom, depositing both the wine and the book next to the tub before quickly shedding her clothes and throwing them into the laundry hamper.

Deciding the water level was high enough, she turned off the faucet and stepped into the tub, slowly lowering herself into the piping hot water until she was completely submerged, save for her head.

"This," she said to Fifty-Nine, who'd come to investigate the splashing sounds, "is life." The dog, seemingly indifferent to his mistress' epiphany, turned around and padded out of the bathroom, presumably in search of something more interesting to do than stare at her sitting in the tub.

She'd just cracked open her new book - entitled "Love Unchained," of all things - when there was a loud knock on the front door. She briefly considered ignoring her uninvited guest, knowing that someone would have called her if it was a work-related emergency, but she just couldn't do it in the end. Whoever was there might need her help, and she couldn't just ignore that.

God help whoever was on the other side of the door if it turned out to be a salesman or someone looking to save her soul, however...

"Coming!" she yelled out as she got out of the tub, grabbing her terrycloth robe from the hook behind the door and hastily pulling it on. She winced as she caught her reflection in the mirror, acknowledging that the finger-shaped bruises around her neck had gotten even nastier-looking in the thirty minutes since she'd gotten home. She'd definitely made the right choice in skipping drinks with the team; if there was even the slightest chance of keeping Jimmy in the dark about this, she was going to take it...

She made her way towards the front door, cinching the robe tightly around herself, making sure to cover the neck area as much as possible. She wasn't really in the mood to explain the finger marks to whoever was now banging non-stop on the door.

"Hold your horses!" she shouted out as she undid the deadbolt and yanked the door open, finding herself faced with a very pissed-off looking Jimmy.

Oh crap...

"Jimmy?" she asked, trying to sound normal but not quite succeeding. "What are you doing here?"

"Show me," he said as he walked past her into the apartment.

"Show you what?" she asked as she shut the door and turned to face him, knowing she was only delaying the inevitable, but not willing to give in without a fight. Why the hell couldn't Luke have kept his mouth shut?

"Don't play dumb," he replied through clenched teeth. "It really doesn't suit you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Show me," he repeated, not fooled for even a second.

"No," she said stubbornly.

"No?" she repeated, eyes narrowing.

"It's none of your business."

"You're my business," he reminded her, taking a step towards her.

"Not anymore, I'm not," she snapped back. "Go home, Jimmy. Go home to your girlfriend; go home to Nathalie."

She regretted her words as soon as she said them. The problem with knowing someone as well as she knew Jimmy was that you knew exactly which button to push to cause the most damage. While he wasn't able to suppress his reaction at the mention of his girlfriend's name - guilt and pain, all nicely bundled together, thank you very much - he still stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere until you show me."

"I'm fine," she told him. "Besides, I've been through worse."

"I'll be the judge of that, if you don't mind."

"I do mind, actually," she replied, unconsciously pulling the robe tighter around her neck.

"Don't think I'm above ripping that robe right off you either," he warned her. "You really should know better."

She quickly squashed down the oh-so-very-not-the time, not-the-place thoughts his words brought to mind. That was definitely not a road they could go down on, especially not tonight.

Not after she'd seen how he looked at Nathalie in the hospital parking lot...

"So?" he asked, thankfully stopping her from going any further with that particular train of thought. "Should I just pick the self-service option?"

"Fine," she sighed, releasing her grip on the collar and letting the robe fall away from her neck. "Have it your way..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter**** 2**

She held her breath, watching as he reached out and ever-so-gently traced the outline of each bruise with his fingers.

"I should have been there," he said in a low voice, his hand slowly falling away as he took a step away from her. "This wouldn't have happened if I'd been there."

"This wasn't Luke's fault," she said defensively. "He did a great job."

"I didn't say he didn't."

"He _saved_ my life," she pointed out.

"Look, I'm not saying the kid did anything wrong," he replied, rubbing his hand over his face. "He just doesn't know enough to keep you out of trouble; I do. _I__'__m_ your partner, and _I_ should have been there."

"We're part of a team," she reminded him. "We _all_ back each other up."

"While that might be true on paper, we both know that's not how it really works. You and me, Boots, we're... We're just different."

"Jimmy-"

"I should have been there," he repeated stubbornly, turning his back to her as he started pacing.

She bit her tongue in an attempt to keep her temper under control, knowing that this was just Jimmy being Jimmy. Her partner took on the responsibility for protecting everyone around him, whether or not they actually needed protecting. It was just his nature. It really didn't have anything to do with her, in the end, she knew that.

"This wasn't your fault," she told him gently, stepping into his path in an attempt to still his restless pacing. "Your being there wouldn't have changed anything."

"Yes, it would have."

"Jimmy-"

"Do you have any idea how helpless I felt being on the outside," he asked in a tortured voice, "knowing that I could lose you, and that there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it?"

"Jesus, Jimmy, I didn't..." She trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," she added lamely, not knowing what else to say.

"You're not the one who needs to apologize," he replied wearily. "I'm the one who wasn't there when you needed me."

"So you were late to the office _once_," she said. "You are allowed to have a life," she added, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm.

He flinched away from her. Then, without warning, he swirled around and took a swing at the wall, the impact of bare knuckles on brick resulting in a sickening crunching sound.

"What the hell, Jimmy!" she cried out, grabbing his arm so she could assess the damage. She winced as she took in the bloody mess, unable to tell if he'd broken anything. "Are you insane?" she demanded angrily as she dragged him to the bathroom. "You could have seriously hurt yourself," she scolded him as she ran a washcloth under warm water, then not-so-gently wiped the blood from his injured hand.

"The reason I wasn't there-"

"I know, you were on a late date with Nathalie last night," she replied, cutting him off. "As I said, you are allowed to have a life so, once again, _what__ the __hell_?"

"I tried, Annie, I really tried."

"I'm not following," she replied as she tossed aside the soiled washcloth and retrieved antiseptic cream from the medicine cabinet, along tweezers, cotton balls, gauze, medical tape, and codeine pills. Her fridge and cupboards might be shamefully bare, but her pharmacy rivaled that of any major trauma center! "Here," she said, handing him two little white pills, "take those. They'll help with the pain you'll soon be feeling."

"I tried to make it work with Nathalie," he said as he dry-swallowed the pills, wincing as she cleaned the wound, extracting embedded bits of brick & mortar from it every so often.

"Uh uh," she replied distractedly, surveying her handy-work. Once satisfied his injured hand was clean, she wrapped it in gauze and fastened it with tape.

"So much time wasted," he continued, "so many feelings hurt... And then today... You could have been killed... All because I tried to convince myself this was what I wanted... What I needed..."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, his words finally sinking in. "You and Nathalie are fine. I saw how you looked at her, how she looked at you." She paused, slowly putting back the medical supplies in the cabinet, buying herself some time to organize her thoughts. "You love her."

"Yeah, I do," he confirmed, causing her heart to squeeze painfully in her chest. "Which goes to show just how thoroughly I've fucked things up."

"I don't understand the problem," she said, trying to ignore the growing unease she was feeling. "You love her, she loves you, all is well, end of story."

"Not quite," he sighed.

"What's the problem?"

"She's not you."


	3. Chapter 3

Note: A short chapter - with more on the way soon, I promise! - dedicated to redqueen74, adbailey, pinkangelxoxo and pygmymuse. Thanks for the reviews, guys!**  
**

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter**** 3**

"You're an idiot!" she shouted angrily, shoving him hard and sending him stumbling backwards as she stormed out of the bathroom.

She stomped her way over to the kitchen, cursing under her breath the whole way, then yanked open one of the cupboards. She quickly found what she was looking for - a bottle of sixteen year old H. Hirsch Reserve Bourbon she'd received as a gift from a grateful district attorney - and poured herself a generous shot, downing it in one gulp. The ninety percent proof alcohol burned its way down her throat, but she still poured herself another shot, knocking it back in one long swallow. She'd never been a big fan of hard liquor, but sometimes beer just didn't cut it...

_She__'__s__ not__ you__..._

The man had completely lost his mind. He should be down on his hands and knees, thanking God that his girlfriend was nothing like her. Sure, he and Nathalie might fight, and she might have some unrealistic expectations about changing him but, in the end, they were a perfect match.

They both wanted the same things out of life.

Things like a home.

A family.

Things Annie just couldn't give him, no matter how much she might want to...

"You gonna share any of that?" he asked, startling her. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she'd failed to hear him walk up behind her. Damn the man and his stealthiness!

"No," she shot back petulantly, turning to face him, glass in hand. "Drugs and alcohol don't mix, remember? Besides, you're confused enough as it is; you definitely don't need any more mind-altering substances in your system."

"I'm not confused," he sighed, grabbing the glass from her. "I think I'll take my chances, if you don't mind."

"Fine," she mumbled, snatching another glass from the counter and pouring herself yet another shot. "It's your funeral."

"Being a little overly dramatic, aren't you?" he asked, taking a sip from the glass, savoring the taste of the fine bourbon. "Can't we just talk about this?"

"No," she replied curtly, knowing her best chance of getting out of this in one piece was to keep her mouth shut. Her partner had a knack for getting inside her head, which was something she really couldn't afford right now.

"Annie-"

"There's nothing to talk about," she countered stubbornly as she drained her glass, then poured herself another. She knew she needed to ease off the booze if she was going to keep her wits about her, but part of her just wanted to get drunk and not have to deal with any of it, at least for now. "Just go home, tell Nathalie you love her, and be grateful she isn't me."

"I can't do that," he sighed, putting down his now-empty glass on the counter. "I'm done pretending."

"Damn it, Jimmy!" she exploded, slamming her glass down, causing drops of the amber liquid to splash onto the counter. Why did the man have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't he just give up? "We've tried this before," she reminded him pointedly. "It didn't work!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter**** 4**

"Did we really?" he asked calmly, motioning for her to pour him another drink.

"What do you mean, 'did we really'?" she asked cautiously, giving him a wary look. "I certainly remember us spending a _lot _of time naked in my bed."

"That we did," he said with a sad little smile. "But that was just sex. Not to say that it wasn't great, because it was, but... You ended it before we had a chance to find out if it could have been more."

"Not like I made a unilateral decision," she reminded him defensively. "We both agreed it was for the best."

"That's not exactly true. You ran scared, and I let you."

"Nice revisionist history," she shot back, "but I don't remember you putting up a fight. You certainly didn't have any problems moving on to the next warm body!"

"I was wrong not to fight for you," he admitted, causing a lump to form in her throat. "But I'm ready to fight now."

"There's nothing to fight for," she replied tiredly, wishing things could be different, yet knowing they couldn't be. "Nothing's changed. No matter how much I may want to, I still can't give you what you want."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe what I want has changed?"

"People don't change," she argued, shaking her head. "You know that better than anyone."

"True, but people do adjust their priorities. They realize that things that seemed important in the past aren't such a big deal anymore."

"I don't believe that, not for something this fundamental. It's not like you suddenly decided you'd rather have an SUV instead of a sports car. We're talking about a lifelong commitment, kids, the whole bit. You'd have regrets, Jimmy, no matter what you think right now. You'd realize you're missing out on something important to you, and you'd just wind up resenting me. I don't want that, not for either one of us..."

"So you'd rather I settle for someone else."

"You're not settling," she protested. "Nathalie's great."

"Yes, she is, we've already covered that. And, as we've also already covered, she's not you. No other woman is _ever_going to be you, Boots, and that's the point; I don't want anyone else. I know that now."

"Why _now_?" she asked before she could stop herself. She was supposed to steer him back to Nathalie, not delve deeper into why he thought he wanted to be with her. "I mean, it's been years. You've moved on; so have I. So what happened to bring this on?"

"Crowley."

"Ben?" she blurted out, startled by the mention of the hunky bail officer.

"Oh, so it's _Ben_ now..." he said, tone dripping with sarcasm. "I guess that answers my question."

"Why do you suddenly care about him?" she asked curiously, cocking her head at him. "I mean, I know you don't like him - nobody in the service likes him, or any other bounty hunter for that matter - but he's been around for quite a while, so why now?"

"I saw you two together."

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level as she wondered exactly how much her partner knew about her tryst with Crowley.

They'd only hooked up a couple of times, always at his place - she _never _brought guys home - and even that had been over for weeks. Besides, she wasn't stupid; she'd known from the start that sleeping with the guy was a dumb move, and so she'd been very careful to keep a low profile. The last thing she'd wanted was to have her team mates find out what - or rather _who_- she was doing in her down time...

"When he took you home from the hospital," he explained, interrupting her thoughts. "I got there late, he was helping you into his car."

"Oh, that," she replied, relief washing over her.

"That?" he asked, his voice filled with suspicion.

"Yeah," she muttered non-committally, hoping he'd drop it. "It was nothing, really. He drove me home, helped me settle in, and then he left."

She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't for a second believe that's all that had transpired between them. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, bracing herself for what would come next.

"Look," he said, taking a step towards her, "I'm hardly in a position to be jealous about you sleeping with someone else, I know that..."

He trailed off, presumably giving her the opportunity to deny that she had indeed bedded Crowley. While part of her was tempted to take the easy way out and tell him nothing had happened, he deserved better; he deserved the truth. And so she said nothing, just stood there, trying not to squirm under his gaze.

"Honestly," he explained, pain creeping into his voice, "if I thought sex was all it was, I might have gone on pretending for a while longer, but you looked so carefree, so happy... "

"Jimmy, don't-"

"I hadn't seen you like that in a long time," he continued, cutting her off. "It made me realize that if I wasn't careful, if I didn't stand up and do something, you might find someone else to share your life with, to be happy with..." He paused, knocking back the contents of his glass.

"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice, not knowing what else to say, and wondering how things could have possibly gotten so out of control so quickly.

"Scared the hell out of me, Boots," he said shakily. "I mean, as federal agents, we put our lives on the line every day, and I know I could lose you at any time; that's just the way it is. But this... This is different. If something were to happen on the job, it would kill me, but at least I'd know I'd done everything I could to keep you safe; to keep you with me. But if I were to lose you to another guy because I never had the courage to at least try..."

"Please don't-" she whispered, terrified of what he was going to say next. She had to stop him before things got too far, before they crossed a line they couldn't come back from...

_A __little __too __late __for __that_, the little voice inside her head told her mockingly as her partner backed her up against the counter and leaned in, capturing her lips in a scorching kiss...


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry about taking so long to post this, but I had a busy week, got distracted by the new episode, not to mention that Annie & Jimmy really gave me a hard time in this chapter.  
I should probably also apologize for... well... you'll see... :)

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter**** 5**

All higher brain functions came to a screeching halt approximately seven seconds later, right about the time Jimmy found that sensitive spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, causing her knees to buckle under her.

Her partner caught her, slipping an arm around her waist and lifting her onto the counter, sending glasses crashing to the floor in the process.

"Sorry," he mumbled against her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

She tried to come up with a appropriately snarky comeback, but all she managed was a less-than-eloquent "uh-uh" as he slowly made his way up the side of her neck before claiming her mouth once more.

He tasted of bourbon and something else she couldn't quite identify, something that was distinctly Jimmy. She hadn't realized - or, rather, hadn't wanted to admit - just how much she'd missed this, how much she'd missed _him__. _However, now that he'd obliterated the walls she'd carefully erected over the years, she was making up for lost time.

She tugged at his shirt, fumbling with the buttons, hands seeking bare flesh. She was rewarded by a low moan as she made contact, but her victory was short-lived as he turned the tables on her by laying a hand on her bare upper thigh and stroking the sensitized flesh with his thumb.

Any last shred of self-control she might have been holding on to flew out the window when his hand started migrating north, fingertips drawing lazy circles on her heated skin along the way. Ruthlessly silencing the little voice in her head that warned her this was a very bad idea, she tugged at his waist band, managing to undo the top button of his jeans with only minimal fumbling.

"Top drawer," she croaked out, eliciting a strangled gasp from her partner as she slowly pulled the zipper down over his growing erection. She heard him blindly rummaging through the take-out menus, spare batteries and other miscellaneous items that made up her junk drawer, finally getting his hands on the box of condoms she kept there.

"Are you sure?" he asked shakily, tearing one of the square packets from the strip and handing it to her.

"Never been more simultaneously sure _and _unsure about anything in my life," she told him honestly as she ripped open the foil wrapper.

"I can relate," he replied with a mirthless laugh as he toyed with the belt of her bathrobe, conflicting emotions plainly visible on his face.

"Look, we don't have to do this," she told him as she put down the still-encased-in-foil prophylactic. "Nothing happened, not really. We could just pretend-"

"No," he replied, cutting her off with a kiss. "No more pretending."

She didn't waste any time arguing, making quick work of the remaining buttons on his shirt and helping him shrug off the offending garment. She felt more than heard him gasp as she trailed kisses along his jawline, nipping at the heated skin as she worked her way down his neck and chest.

"Annie, stop," he moaned, tangling his hands in her hair in an effort to keep her still as he tried to regain control of his ragged breathing. "You gotta slow down, or else this is going to be over before it starts."

"Not like we can't have a second go at it," she pointed out, dropping a smattering of feathery kisses along his collarbone. "Or even a third one, for that matter," she added with a naughty smile, hooking a leg around his waist and bringing him closer.

"I think you may be overestimating my stamina on that one," he said with a small chuckle as he tilted her head up towards him, "but I'm definitely willing to put it to the test."

The next few minutes were a blur as they lost themselves in rediscovering each other, mouths and hands hungrily seeking out once-familiar places.

Feeling what remained of her control slipping away, she frantically searched for the discarded condom packet, moaning in combined relief and pleasure as her right hand stumbled across it. She turned her attention to his jeans, pulling at them in an effort to get them off, when he let out a yelp of surprise and jumped away from her.

She blinked hard, confused by the sudden lack of contact, watching his lips move but unable to make out a word he was saying.

"She's fine," she was able to decipher once the fog in her mind started to lift. "Just a little bruised." He paused, presumably listening to whoever was on the other end. "Yeah, we're fine," he added, stealing a guilty glance at her. "We... worked things out." Another pause, followed by a distinctly uncomfortable "okay, thanks," before ending the call.

"Everything okay?" she asked in a neutral tone, unconsciously tightening her robe around her.

"Marco," he told her as he slipped the phone back into his front pocket. "He just wanted to make sure you were okay," he explained, closing the gap between them once again. "And to let me know he'd driven Nathalie home," he added before looking away, his face a study in guilt.

"That's nice," she answered inanely, unsure what else to say.

"Annie-"

"It's okay, Jimmy."

"No, it's really not," he sighed. "Not for you, and certainly not for her."

"I know."

"I just need to talk to her first, to make things right."

"I know, it's okay," she assured him, leaning her forehead against his. "Really, it's fine."

"The worst part," he continued, "is that even though I know this is wrong... Even though I know I had no business starting things up with you until I'd ended things with Nathalie, I still..." He trailed off, hands coming to rest flat on either side of her as he struggled for control. "I still want this; I still want you. Right here, right now..."

"I do too," she admitted, sighing, "but we're just going to have to get over that for now."

"It shouldn't be this hard," he said, the frustration he felt evident in his voice. "I know it's wrong, and that should be that."

"Doing the right thing is rarely easy," she reminded him gently. "The fact that you're willing to do what's right, despite the cost to yourself, and despite the fact that it is hard, that's what makes you one of the good guys."

"I'm not feeling particularly good right now," he sighed.

"Oh, you are good," she said with a not-so-innocent smile. "In more ways than one," she added as she wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively.

"Not helping," he groaned as he tried to suppress a laugh.

"All right," she said, hopping off the counter "Why don't you order some pizza while I go get dressed. We can watch something on television while we finish off that bottle of bourbon; no sense letting it go to waste."

"Not sure more alcohol is what we need," he replied, pulling open the junk drawer and throwing the box of condoms back into it.

"I'll take the safety off my gun," she shot back over her shoulder, eliciting another laugh from him. "That should keep you on your side of the couch, I would think."

"I was more worried about you keeping to your side," he told her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Funny," she said as she wandered back into the kitchen, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "Hey, about the phone... I never even heard it ring..."

"Yeah, neither did I," he replied. "I did, however, feel the damn thing vibrate next to a particularly sensitive part of my anatomy."

"Oh," was all she managed to say before dissolving into laughter.

He waited for the hysterical giggling to die off before saying anything else. "Look, I really should go-"

"You can't," she blurted out.

He arched an eyebrow at her, obviously not getting why not.

"I mean," she explained, "you can't drive. Codeine. Bourbon."

"I'm not drunk," he protested.

"Well, you might not feel drunk," she countered, "but you are definitely over the legal limit; we both are."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll just call a cab."

"Jimmy-"

"Come on, Annie... Despite the joking around, we both know what will happen if I stay the night. Good intentions are not, we're going to cross that line again, and we won't be able to pull back this time."

"We're not hormone-crazed teenagers, for god's sake. We can manage a night without ending up in bed together, despite what happened on the kitchen counter!"

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

"I just want you to stay, all right?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't know what tomorrow will bring," she admitted reluctantly. "But tonight... tonight you're all mine, and I just want to be with you, even though I can't be _with _you."

"You're afraid I'll change my mind if I go home," he said in sudden understanding.

She shook her head in denial, but her expression betrayed her.

"I'm not gonna change my mind," he assured her, reaching out to tuck a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. "Just so we're absolutely clear... I want to be with you. _Only _you. Seeing Nathalie is not going to change that."

"How do you know? You love her, you told me you did, and-"

"Yes," he admitted, cutting her off, "I did say that. She's been an important part of my life over the past few years, but... I am_ in love_ with you, Boots. It's not the same thing, not by a long shot..."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.  
It only takes a minute, and it really does make all the difference in the world to a fanfic writer!

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter ****Six**

Time slowed to a crawl as she processed what her partner had just said.

He was in love with her.

In retrospect, she had to have been pretty dense to have missed out on that tiny little detail.

_What __exactly __did __you__ think__ tonight __was __about__?_ asked the annoying little voice that lived inside her head. _Guys__ don__'__t __get __this __worked__ up __over __sex__, __no __matter __how __honorable __they __might __be__..._

"Go," she blurted out, picking his shirt off the floor and handing it to him.

"Go where?"

"Just... Go home, Jimmy," she said, taking a couple of steps backwards, away from him.

"Home?" he repeated slowly, confusion written all over his face. "What are you-"

"You were right," she said, cutting him off. "If you stay, we'll just wind up having sex, then you'll feel guilty. So you should just... go."

"No," he replied, putting his shirt back on as he made his way into the living room area.

"What do you mean, no?" she asked as she followed him, wondering why he was being so difficult. "You were the one who wanted to go, so what's the problem?"

"I'm not going anywhere until we talk about this," he informed her as he dropped down on the couch, making a big show of doing up the last button. "We're gonna be here for a while, Boots," he said, putting his feet up on the coffee table, "so you might as well get comfortable."

"There's nothing to talk about," she sighed, kicking his feet off the table as she walked by him. She knew he was just trying to get her riled up, to keep her off-balance, in the hopes that she'd slip up and reveal something. It was a waste of time, of course. There was nothing to reveal; she wasn't hiding anything...

"I beg to differ," he argued calmly. "One minute you're ripping my clothes off, the next you're practically shoving me out the door, so forgive me for thinking we might have a problem."

"I'm fine," she assured him, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table, facing him. "We're fine."

"Are we?"

"Yes," she told him without a hint of doubt in her voice, "we are."

"Really?" he asked, looking thoroughly unconvinced. "Because, from my perspective, it sure as hell looks like you're running again."

"I'm not running, Jimmy," she assured him, knowing she could hardly blame him for doubting her, yet still hurt that he obviously didn't believe her. "I _promise _you that."

"I tell you I'm in love with you, and suddenly you can't wait to get rid of me," he said, unable to completely keep the hurt out of his voice. "Surely you can see how I might be a little worried, right?"

"You just caught me by surprise, that's all. I was being selfish, wanting you to stay... I wasn't thinking about how it would affect you."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he leaned forward, studying her intently.

"I know you, Jimmy. You don't even look at other women when you're involved with someone, so tonight, with me... It would have been torture, all because I was feeling insecure. I don't want that."

"It's okay-" he started, reaching out for her.

"No, it's not," she countered, shaking her head vehemently. "You should go. Talk to Nathalie. Do whatever you need to do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Not to say that I'm not terrified about what will happen once you actually see her, but I trust you."

"Thank you," he whispered as he leaned in and kissed her.

"Go," she told him when he pulled away a few moments later. "Go before I change my mind and chain you to the bed."

"That's not really incentive for me to go," he chuckled softly.

"Yeah, it is," she replied, pulling him off the couch as she got to her feet and headed towards the door, fishing her cell phone out of her pocket as she went.

After texting a pickup request to the local cab company, she tossed the phone onto the counter and turned to face her partner. "Cab should be here in a few minutes," she informed him.

"Thanks," he said as he pulled open the front door. "I think I'll just wait out there. I could use a bit of fresh air to pull my thoughts together, figure out what I'm going to say to Nathalie."

_Figure __out __what __I__'__m __going __to __say__ to__ Nathalie__..._

She tried to tell herself that it didn't mean he was thinking of not ending things with her, but she wasn't entirely successful. Try as she might, she couldn't overcome decades of conditioning overnight. Her father had presumably loved her, yet he'd left her without so much as a single glance backward. What was to say Jimmy wouldn't do that same?

"I _am _going to tell her it's over," he assured her, having obviously picked up on her resurfacing insecurities. Damn the man for being able to read her so well! "I'm just not sure exactly how to go about it." He trailed off, the guilt he felt over what he was about to do clearly visible on his face. "I don't want to hurt her..."

"It'll hurt no matter what spin you put on it," she told him softly.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I know."

"Just... tell her. Be honest. It's the only thing you can do."

"I know," he repeated, sighing again. "Now," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "go draw another bath, read one of those novels you love, and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You can come back," she offered. "You know... after... if you want."

"It's okay," he said as he stepped out of her apartment. "I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

"One more thing, Jimmy..."

He turned to face her, looking at her expectantly.

"Unless you want to give the cab driver ideas about how you'll be paying for your fare, you might want to zip up," she said sweetly before closing the door behind her.

She could hear him laughing all the way down the stairs to the street.

After a few moments of simply standing there, grinning like an idiot, she went to retrieve her book from the bathroom and settled down on the couch, taking up the spot so recently vacated by her partner. She'd barely made it through one chapter when there was a knock on the door.

"Seriously, Jimmy, you need to go home already!" she said with a laugh as she yanked open the door, only to discover her visitor was definitely _not _her partner. "Nathalie?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
****Chapter**** 7**

"Can I come in?" the other woman asked as she looked at her curiously, making Annie wonder exactly how long she'd been staring at her without saying a word.

"Of course," she replied as she motioned for her to come in, closing the door behind them. "Jimmy's not here," she offered rather lamely, unable to think of any other reason why she would have shown up on her doorstep at this time of night.

Or at any other time, to be honest.

"He went... home," she informed her, opting to keep details to a minimum. Easier to stay out of trouble that way, she figured...

"That's okay," Nathalie said as she turned to face her. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

"To me?" she asked with a frown, wondering what Jimmy's girlfriend could possibly want with her. While quite a few possibilities did come to mind, including one where the dark-haired beauty somehow knew exactly what had transpired in her kitchen earlier that evening, she knew that was just her imagination running wild.

Or so she kept telling herself.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" she managed to ask, sounding almost normal.

Or, if not normal, then at the very least innocent...

"It's about Jimmy," came the reply, crushing Annie's hopes that the unexpected visit was purely coincidental, having nothing to do with her partner or the relationship between the two of them.

"What about him?" she asked, feeling like the world's biggest hypocrite. She'd always been very direct by nature, preferring to deal with whatever problem she encountered head-on, so tip-toeing around the issue at hand was making her very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, telling the truth wasn't really an option right now, so she'd have to settle for trying to avoid outright lies.

"You probably know Jimmy and I have been fighting quite a bit lately."

"Yeah, I know Jimmy's spent a couple of nights in the bunks," she offered casually. "He mentioned you having some problems with the job."

"The job," Nathalie repeated with a mirthless laugh. "I guess that's true to a certain extent. I certainly did resent him dropping everything and taking off whenever the damn phone rang."

"I'm sorry," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I've always known the job is a big part of who Jimmy is," the dark-haired woman continued as she made her way to the living room, dropping down on the couch in the spot so recently occupied by her hopefully-soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. "And I do get that what you do is important, that it's quite literally a matter of life and death more often than not, but when your boyfriend runs off mid-coitus, a girl can start to get a bit insecure."

"Um, I-"

"Sorry, I know that was probably way more information than you needed," Nathalie said, cutting her off. "Anyway, I've come to realize that the job's not really the problem."

"Then what is?" she found herself asking, quite against her better judgment. The last thing she should be doing was helping the other woman figure out why things weren't working out, since _she_was the cause of their problems.

"Surely the fact that I showed up on your doorstep in the middle of the night gives you an idea."

"I don't understand-"

"Look," she said, impatiently flicking a strand of hair out of her face, "I'm not an idiot. I know you and Jimmy are close, and that you have some sort of history that goes beyond friendship-"

"I'm not sleeping with Jimmy!" she countered defensively, not quite able to meet the other woman's eyes. While technically true, their relationship wasn't exactly platonic either, and the line between truth and lie was a mighty fine one in this case.

"Oh, I know that," Nathalie said dismissively, as if the very notion was utterly ridiculous. "Jimmy's too much of a good guy to do something as tawdry as having an affair."

_Another __technically__ accurate __statement_, she thought as she kept silent and tried not to squirm.

"Not that I think you'd be a party to such a thing," she added, seemingly unaware of the effect her words were having on Annie, "even if Jimmy _were_the type to screw around."

She fell silent as she studied the marshal, obviously looking for some kind of confirmation from her. Annie fought the urge to spill her guts, to tell the other woman everything, but she managed to hold it together. This just wasn't her story to tell, in the end...

"You're just like him when it comes to things like this," she continued once it was clear Annie wasn't going to say anything. "It's like you share the same moral code."

"I think that's really just a by-product of the job," she replied, wondering exactly where that nifty moral code had been earlier that evening when she'd been busy ripping the clothes off someone else's boyfriend.

"I somehow doubt that's the only reason," Nathalie countered, interrupting her guilty musings. "Doesn't really matter, though. I've come to realize it wasn't the job Jimmy was running to all this time, not really. Every time the phone rang, every time he canceled on me... He was running to _you_, even if he didn't know that's what he was doing."

"I never meant to come between the two of you," Annie said softly, meaning every single word. While she couldn't deny she was happy things hadn't worked out between the two of them, she nonetheless felt terrible about her role in the breakup.

"Oh, I don't blame you," the other woman assured her. "Hell, when it comes right down to it, I don't even blame him."

"I'm not sure I'd be so... understanding... if I were in your place," the marshal admitted, gaining a whole new appreciation for her would-be rival. Were their roles reversed, she was pretty damn sure she'd have kicked her ass into the next county for trying to get Jimmy away from her.

"Would my screaming like a banshee and threatening to wipe you off the face of the earth really change anything?" Nathalie asked with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong... If I thought this was just about sex, the claws would be out in one second flat. Believe me when I say that I'd give you the fight of your life."

"I don't doubt that for a second." While she'd never spent much time with Jimmy's girlfriend - for obvious reasons - she was starting to think they could have been friends under other circumstances. "I really wouldn't want to find myself on your bad side," she admitted with a smile. She had a feeling the other woman would be a force to be reckoned with...

"Well, you don't really have to worry about that. We both know this isn't just some little fling he's going to get bored of, so fighting would be pretty pointless for everyone involved."

"I'm sorry," Annie said, feeling guilty all over again. While she might not have actually done anything to come between the two of them, the end result was still the same: Jimmy was leaving his girlfriend so he could be with her...

"It's okay," the other woman replied as if reading her thoughts. "We don't get to pick who we fall in love with," she added with a sad smile. "We do, however, get to pick who we spend our lives with and I, for one, am not going to waste my life hanging on to someone who will _never _feel about me the way I feel about him."

"I really am sorry," the blond marshal murmured, wondering just how often she'd uttered those words in the past twenty-four hours. "I still don't quite understand why you came to see me, though. I assume it wasn't just to... um... " She trailed off, not quite sure how to put it.

"Give you permission to date my boyfriend?" she offered, obviously enjoying Annie's discomfort.

"Kind of, yeah, now that you mention it..."

"I actually wanted to give you a bit of advice," she admitted, her tone serious once more. "Look, I don't know what happened with the two of you, or why you haven't managed to make it work, but... He's in love with you, and I think you feel the same way about him." She trailed off, obviously struggling to find the right words. "He deserves to be with someone who makes him happy and, despite everything, I think you deserve that too... So don't wait too long, okay?"

"I don't-" She was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Cursing softly as she excused herself, she made her way to the kitchen and snatched the phone off the counter.

Nathalie didn't miss the look of guilt on Annie's face as she glanced at the caller ID. "You should answer that," she said with knowing smile as she got off the couch and made her way to the door. "He'll be worried if you don't."

"I'm sorry," she said lamely the what felt like the hundredth time that night, yet not knowing what else to say.

"It's okay. Just tell him I'm on my way home." With those words, she was out the door, leaving a guilt-ridden Annie to stare after her.

The continued ringing of her cell phone brought her out of her trance. "Nathalie was here," she told her partner without so much as a hello.

"She was at your place?" her partner asked in confusion. "Why?"

"I can't-"

"Never mind," he interrupted. "You don't have to tell me. I guess I'll find out soon enough..."

"It's just that-"

"It's okay, really," he assured her. "I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of this mess."

"It's okay," she replied, sighing. "She's on her way home."

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, sounding worried.

"Yes," she replied automatically, then thought better of it. "No."

"You're not?" he asked, the level of worry in his tone going up one notch. She didn't know whether it was because of what he thought might have happened with Nathalie, or because he was afraid she might be having second thoughts, but she was too tired to really care just now.

"I don't know how I feel," she admitted with a sigh. "It's just... I don't like this, Jimmy. It feels like we're sneaking around behind her back. I lied to her - well, not technically a lie, I guess, since we didn't actually have sex, though it's not like we didn't cross quite a few lines along the way - but I let her believe there was nothing going on."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just... Talk to her. She deserves the truth."

"I will."

"And Jimmy, if you're not sure about this, you need to tell me now. I am _not _going to be the other woman-"

"I love you, Annie," he said without a hint of doubt in his voice. "That's not going to change."

"Okay," she replied, releasing the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. She really was going to have to work on that pesky fear of abandonment thing...

"I know this is probably asking for a lot, but try to get some rest."

"I will," she assured him. "I'm going to finish reading my chapter, then I'm off to bed."

"Okay," he said, sounding relieved. "Good night., Boots."

"Good night," she replied, stifling a yawn. She was about to end the call when she thought better of it. "Jimmy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:**  
Just a silly little chapter, mostly to allow me to post this note as fanfiction-dot-net gets annoyed about posting author's notes without actual new content. :(

So here's the deal... I'm on vacation in Vegas (soon to be off to Valley of Fire & Death Valley), so I most likely will not get to writing until some time next week, and I certainly won't have web access for a while. But I haven't given up on the fic (or on _Art of Denial_), so hang in there!

**

* * *

**

**Bruised & Battered,  
Chapter Eight**

He was awakened by the sound of a key turning in the lock. Lifting his head from its warm and comfy resting place on Annie's leg, he watched as the tall man entered the apartment, locking the door behind him. After a quick survey of the place, he quietly made his way over to the living room where Annie slept, passed out on the couch, book still clutched in hand.

"Hey buddy," the man whispered as he gave him a quick scratch behind the right ear, "how about you let me take her to bed?"

He cocked his head at him, weighing his options. He could put up a fight - he could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to - but he quickly decided there was no need for the fangs to come out. He actually liked this one; More importantly, _she _liked this one too.

Decision made, he hopped off the couch, only to jump up onto the worn armchair in the corner. After turning precisely three times and scratching at the cushions to get them just how he liked them, he settled down, head propped up on the wooden armrest.

"I wasn't implying you had to sleep out here," the man chuckled as he scooped Annie up and made his way to the bedroom. "You're more than welcome to join us."

He raised an eyebrow at him, making it clear he had no intention of moving from his current spot. He'd shared a bed with these two before, and didn't feel the need to repeat the experience, thank you very much. There were simply some things a dog did not need to know about his mistress...


	9. Chapter 9

**Author****'****s ****Notes****:**

Sorry for the delay guys, it's been the week from hell, basically...

Anyway, here's the deal with chapter 9... Basically, I created two versions of it.

The first one is T-rated, and is posted as part of the story you're reading right now.  
The idea is to give readers who prefer fade-outs to full-on sex scenes the opportunity of skipping the sex. Plus, as a bonus for me, it allows my story to remain in the default story listing, as M-rated stories are filtered out by default. What can I say? I'm needy; I need new readers, as many of them as possible! :)

The second version is M-rated, and is posted as a separate story (_Bruised__ & __Battered__: __Alternate__ Chapter__ Nine_). This one is for all those reviewers who were begging me for descriptive Annie/Jimmy sex. Keep in mind that you asked for this, so if it sucks, it's on you! :)

So, to sum it all up... If you don't care about the sex, read this chapter. If you want the more graphic version, look up the alternate chapter.

Thanks for hanging in there!

* * *

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter ****Nine**

She woke up to the sound of soft snoring coming from somewhere perilously close to her right ear. She opened her eyes slowly, momentarily blinded by the bright sunshine slashing through the thin fabric shade covering the window.

She blinked in confusion as she tried to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was settling down on the couch in the living room, book in hand, Fifty-Nine snoring loudly next to her. Speaking of which...

She turned slowly, fully expecting to come face-to-face with her bed-hogging, covers-stealing, pillow-appropriating dog, only to discover the source of the snoring was actually her partner.

A slow grin spread across her face as she studied his sleeping form. While she had no memory of this, Jimmy was obviously responsible for her waking up in her comfy bed instead of on the lumpy couch in the living room.

She briefly marveled at the fact that she'd managed to sleep through his coming home. Until now, she would never have believed anyone could not only sneak into her place without her knowledge, but also carry her into the bedroom and put her to bed, all without her waking up.

Then again, Jimmy wasn't just anybody.

He was the one person in the world she trusted implicitly.

She trusted him with her life.

Not to mention with her heart.

Still, it really was a shame she'd slept through it all; They could have picked up where they'd left off, making the night much more enjoyable. No matter, she was awake now, and she had every intention of making up for lost time.

_First __things __first__, __though_, she told herself as she slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her partner. She tiptoed her way to the bathroom, ever-so-quietly pulling the door shut behind her.

After taking care of some rather pressing matters, she lingered in front of the shower enclosure, staring longingly at the massaging showerhead. While she was itching for a twenty-minute shower to wash away the grime of the past twenty-four hours, the noise of the running water would surely wake her sleeping partner. She wanted to avoid that if at all possible, as she had a number of ideas on how to rouse him, none of which involving her clanky old pipes.

After one last longing look at the shower, she stepped up to the sink for a quick brush and rinse. A minute later, feeling all minty-fresh and intent on finishing what they'd started the night before, she made her way back to the bedroom after a quick detour to the kitchen.

She studied her sleeping partner, absent-mindedly chewing on her bottom lip as she pondered her next move. She and Jimmy were certainly no strangers to morning sex, and while she couldn't deny that those rushed early-morning couplings had always been thoroughly enjoyable, a quickie wasn't what she was after this time.

There would be absolutely _no _rushing to the finish line this morning...

After settling on a game plan, she stripped down to her bra and panties, then slipped under the covers, taking care not to disturb its sleeping inhabitant.

"Jimmy, you awake?" she asked in a barely audible voice as she dropped feather-light kisses along the side of his neck. He mumbled something she couldn't quite make out, shifting his position slightly to allow her better access, but didn't actually awaken.

She grinned, feeling a perverse thrill at having her way with him like this. Not that he'd object, were he awake, but still...

She slowly worked her way down, nipping at his collarbone as she undid the first button of his shirt, then the second, her actions eliciting a low - albeit still-sleepy - moan from her partner. She took her time with the remaining buttons, lavishing kisses on every inch of bare skin she encountered as she lazily made her way down his stomach.

Having liberated him from his shirt - or at least as much as she could while he was laying on his back - she turned her attention to his lower half. Those jeans needed to come off, now! After deftly undoing the top button and fly - amazing how easy that was when she wasn't distracted by her partner's roaming hands and lips - she tugged at the waistband, managing to get the pants off with remarkably little effort.

Tossing the jeans aside, she straddled his amazingly-still-sleeping form, licking her lips as she studied her handy work. The man certainly did look good enough to eat...

She toyed with the waistband of his boxer briefs and she weighed her options. While part of her was tempted to see just exactly how far she could get before he awakened, a bigger part of her just wanted to him to wake up already!

"Need any help?" Jimmy asked in a suspiciously sleep-free tone of voice, startling her.

"You're awake," she said accusingly, glaring at him. "You just let me go on, believing you were asleep!"

"Well," he explained as he tried to keep from laughing. "You were so focused on the task at hand," he added as he propped himself up to a sitting position, hands coming to rest on her hips. "I didn't want to break your... concentration."

"You could still have said something," she argued half-heartedly, distracted by the feeling of his right thumb tracing lazy circles on her stomach. "I missed you," she admitted, "which is stupid, I know, because you were right there, but-"

"I know," he said in a low voice as he slid his hands up slowly, stopping when he encountered the scalloped edge of her lacy bra. "Victoria's Secret?" he asked, clearly amused at her selection.

"Moment of weakness," she replied, trying rather unsuccessfully to suppress a moan as her partner traced the edge of the cups with his fingertips.

"For me?" he queried, playing with one of the straps.

"Well, you always did love to take these things off me," she responded with a small shrug. "I understand it's a required step in getting me naked," she added, fingers skimming the edge of his briefs, "but you always did seem to enjoy it a whole lot, certainly more than as just a means to an end..."

"Think of it as getting a gift," he explained as his thumb came to rest on the front closure. "Just because I want to see what it is doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beautiful paper," he continued, toying with the clasp, "or savor the act of slowly unwrapping it to get to the treasure inside..."

She sucked in a sharp breath as he finally released the clasp, causing the lacy fabric to scrape against her sensitized flesh as the cups fell away from her breasts. Feeling her control slipping away, she tugged at his briefs in an effort to get them past his hips, craving the feel of his naked body - all of it - against hers.

"Not yet," he said as he immobilized her busy hands. "Slow unwrapping, remember?" he whispered into her ear before before trailing kisses down the side of her neck.

"Uh-uh," she moaned, arching against him in an attempt to get closer.

Releasing her hands, he slipped the strap off one shoulder, laying down a trail of kisses in its place, then proceeded to to the same to the other one, causing her to squirm in his lap.

His hands shot to her hips, fingers digging into her flesh, in an effort to keep her from moving. "As much as I'm enjoying that," he gasped, fighting to get himself under control, "you _really _need to stop squirming."

"Sorry," she mumbled against the side of his neck as she, too, tried to regain a modicum of control. "You're not exactly making it easy, you know?" she added with a strangled laugh. "I love foreplay as much as the next girl but, right now, what I'd really like is to throw you down on the bed and ride you until you're screaming my name."

Her statement was met with silence, making her wonder if she'd said too much. Jimmy never had a problem with her taking the initiative when they were together but, then again, that was a long time ago. It was possible he'd come to dislike assertiveness in bed, though certainly hoped that wasn't the case. "Jimmy," she said, thinking she might as well find out now if this was going to be a problem, "you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just... trying to find a reason why I shouldn't let you do just that."

"Oh," she said, heaving a sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought that maybe-"

"Maybe I didn't appreciate you wanting to take control?"

"Yeah..."

"I know exactly who you are, Annie," he reminded her as he released his grip on her hips and tilted her chin up. "I have absolutely no problem with you taking charge, be it out in the field or at home in bed."

"Okay... So, then... Where were we, exactly?"

"I believe you were about to ravage me," he reminded, grinning wickedly as he reached for her...

Much later on, once her vision had cleared and her heart rate had returned to non-stroke-inducing levels, she kissed Jimmy again, reveling in the sight, taste, and feel of him.

"Not that this is in any way intended as criticism of past performance," she said after releasing him, "but... Holy shit, Jimmy..."

"Holy shit indeed," he agreed as he rolled onto his side, bringing her along with him.

"I think I may owe Nathalie a word of thanks," she said with a laugh, realizing only too late what she'd just said.

"Nothing to do with Nathalie," he replied without missing a beat, "or with any other woman I've been with, for that matter." He paused, studying her face for a moment. "It's you, Boots," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his numb. "_Only_ you..."

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "We need to talk, don't we?"

"Later," he told her. "For now, all that matters is you and me. Everything else can wait. Okay?"

She nodded her agreement as she relaxed into his embrace, knowing he was right.

It _could_ wait.

Besides, she could think of a number of infinitely-more-pleasant things they could be doing instead of talking.

She shared the activity at the top of her list with Jimmy who, it turned out, was only too happy to oblige...


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes**:  
_Thanks for all the reviews, I'm in fic-writer heaven! :)_

**Bruised**** & ****Battered****,  
Chapter ****Ten**

Annie was having a very good dream, one she had every intention of seeing through to the end.

She was _not _going to wake up until it was over, and that was that.

Her partner, however, had other ideas.

"You awake?" he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"No," she mumbled, "I'm not."

"That's a shame," he said as he nipped at the sensitive skin behind her ear, "because I'd really, really, _really_like you to be awake."

Still refusing to be snatched from her oh-so-enjoyable dream, she tried to burrow deeper under the covers, only to discover that she couldn't move. Panic bubbled inside her at the realization that she was trapped, propelling her into full-consciousness in two seconds flat.

"It's okay, Boots," Jimmy whispered soothingly as he loosened his hold on her. "It's only me."

"You interrupted my dream," she complained as she relaxed against him, feeling like an idiot for having over-reacted. "Just when it was getting really good, too..."

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. "Was I in the dream?" he asked as he trailed kissed along the side of her neck.

"Why?"

"Well, you... mentioned... my name," he informed her, the laughter in his voice unmistakable. "Anything you'd like to share?" he asked, his tone leaving no doubt that he knew exactly what type of dream she'd been having.

"Not really," she replied, feeling herself blush. It was a stupid reaction, she knew, given how she and Jimmy had spent the last twenty four hours, but she couldn't seem to help it. It wasn't even that there was anything particularly exotic about the dream. Even if there had been, she knew Jimmy would be more than happy to oblige; he'd always been very open to trying new things...

"You sure?" he queried, somehow managing to sound perfectly innocent, even though his wandering fingers were busy doing things to her that were anything _but _innocent.

"Uh-uh," she half-mumbled, half-moaned. Her partner really did have a talent for reducing her linguistic skills to near-monosyllabic, barely-audible words, though _words _seemed woefully inaccurate for the sounds coming out of her at this point.

Not that this was his only talent, mind you.

_Not __by__ a __long__ shot_, she thought, her half-moan quickly degenerating into a full-blown one as his questing fingers zeroed in on a particular sensitive spot. "Jimmy..."

"You know," he whispered in her ear, "that's kind of what you sounded like when you were dreaming."

"Uh-uh," she replied, once again displaying her superb mastery of the English language.

"Does that very eloquent answer mean you're ready to share?" he asked with a laugh as she twisted around to face him.

"No sharing," she told him as she gave him a playful shove, landing him on his back. "Much more fun to come up with something new," she added as she straddled him. "Don't you think?"

"No arguments from me," he assured her as he studied her with undisguised interest, no doubt wondering exactly what she had in mind. Probably hoping she'd show him a new party trick...

"Any special requests?" she asked as she bent down to capture his mouth.

"Surprise me."

She slowly made her down his chest, leaving a trail of kisses in her wake. "Don't I always?" she asked as she ventured further south, feeling him twitch under her as she nipped at a particularly sensitive spot.

"Uh-uh," he mumbled, having suddenly become just as linguistically challenged as she had been mere minutes ago. Turn-around was fair play, as her partner had so aptly pointed out the day before...

She was reaching for their rapidly-dwindling stash of condoms when Jimmy's phone went off, startling her. Cursing the powers that be for their cruel sense of timing - though it would have unarguably been much worse had it gone off a few minutes later - she grabbed the phone off the night-stand, handing it to her partner.

"Leave it," he replied as he took the phone from her and tossed it onto the floor.

"Don't be an idiot, Jimmy," she said as she tried to snatch the handset off the floor. "It could be important."

"It's not you," he argued, "it's not Marco, Daisy, Luke, or the office, and we don't have any active cases right now, so no witnesses. Everyone else can wait."

"How do you know that?" she asked, looking at him curiously. "I mean, I obviously get how it's not me, but the rest?"

"Ringtone," he replied as he reached for her, seemingly intent on getting them back on track. "Now where were we?"

"You have different ringtones for everyone?" she asked, frowning. "How did I not know that?" She was missing something here, but she couldn't figure out exactly what that was, and it bothered her.

"Not everyone," he said evasively, setting off more mental alarms, as did his renewed attempts at trying to distract her with his oh-so-very-talented hands. "Just a few key people."

"Like who?"

"Annie-"

"Like who," she repeated, undeterred.

"Why do you care?"

"Because, for some reason, you don't want to tell me, and the fact that you're holding back something that is really... insignificant... tells me something bigger is going on here."

"Nathalie," he said quietly. "It was Nathalie's ringtone."

"Oh," she replied inanely, not sure what else to say. Given what they'd been doing, she could see why her partner hadn't wanted to take the call. Nothing like conversing with an ex while in bed with someone new to make things awkward all around.

So he'd assigned his girlfriend - scratch that, _ex__-__girlfriend_ - a special ringtone. U.S. Marshals, by the very nature of their work, could be subjected to an astounding number of calls on a daily basis. It only made sense he'd want a way to know when she was the one calling.

It was all about prioritizing the important things - the important _people_- in your life, right?

And yet, it still bothered her, though she couldn't pinpoint why. Try as she might, she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was _still_ missing something...

"I'm sorry," he started as he propped himself up to a sitting position, lacing an arm around her waist. "I just wasn't ready for the outside world to intrude yet."

"We can't stay in bed forever, Jimmy," she sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead against his.

"I distinctly remember time spent in the bathroom, the living room, and the kitchen."

"Okay, so we did make it out of the bedroom," she conceded as she pulled away slightly, "but in every one of those instances, we still wound up naked with our hands all over each other."

"Not just our hands," he reminded her playfully as he kissed the side of her neck.

"I'm serious, Jimmy," she sighed, trying to keep her thoughts together, though her partner's actions were making it rather difficult to concentrate. "We're gonna have to face reality eventually. And reality is going to include people that are going to make us... uncomfortable... People like Nathalie."

"And people like Ben Crowley?" he asked, going perfectly still.

"Yeah," she sighed, "people like Ben."

She lapsed into silence, not sure what to say next. While she had no reason to feel guilty about her tryst with the bounty hunter - they were both single, consenting adults - she did feel guilty. Against all rational explanations, when she was with Crowley, she felt like she was... cheating. She briefly wondered if her partner had ever felt that way when with Nathalie, but promptly squashed that thought; this was one question she really did not want to know the answer to...

"The thing with Ben," she started to say, knowing she should just let it go, yet unable to overcome the need to explain herself. "It didn't mean anything."

"Does _he _know that?"

"I'm in love with _you_, Jimmy," she reminded him. "Whatever Ben Crowley may or may not know is kind of irrelevant at this point, don't you think?"

"Sorry," he sighed. "I just don't like that guy, and the thought of him..." He trailed off mid-sentence, trying to keep himself under control yet not quite succeeding. She didn't need to be psychic to figure out what he had been about to say.

"I know the feeling. The thought of you and Nathalie in bed-" She stopped mid-sentence, the mention of Jimmy's ex having just provided her with the last piece of the puzzle.

"Annie?" her partner said worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"You have a ringtone for me?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Of course," he confirmed, looking at her curiously. "You're my partner."

It explained so much, really. Nathalie had been right; Jimmy had been running to her all along, whether or not not he'd actually been aware of it. Despite the fact that she'd had no active part in that, she felt her guilt levels go up another half-dozen notches.

Desperate to get some distance between them so she could sort through her jumbled thoughts and feelings, she squirmed in his lap, trying desperately to free herself from his grasp.

"What's wrong?" he asked, refusing to let her go. "Talk to me, Boots."

"Talk," she replied with a mirthless laugh. "Great, _now_ you want to talk."

She knew they did need to talk, but she couldn't think - let alone have a serious conversation - while straddling his naked body, feeling his unflagging erection nudging at her backside. Her brain might understand the need for talk, but the rest of her didn't particularly care.

The only way they were going to manage having a serious talk was to get out of bed, put some clothes on, and keep their hands off each other.

"Let me go, Jimmy," she said through gritted teeth. "Now."

"Not until you tell me what just happened," he replied stubbornly, tightening his hold on her.

"Something Nathalie said," she said in defeat, knowing the only way she'd get away was to offer him some kind of explanation. "About you running off every time the phone rang."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, obviously not getting what she was driving at.

"She knew, Jimmy. All that time, she knew. I may not have known, but it doesn't change the fact that I was the other woman, and I just don't know how to deal with that..."

"That's on me, Boots, not you," he said, tilting her chin up so she'd be forced to look him in the eye. "I'm the one who stayed, even knowing I was in love with you. I'm the one who... led her on. This is _not _your fault."

"I know that," she said miserably, "but I still feel guilty as hell."

"Okay," he said, releasing her. "Get some clothes on, then we'll go somewhere and talk."

"We don't have to go anywhere," she protested. "I can make us some breakfast."

"I don't know about you but, given recent events, the kitchen isn't going to be all that helpful in helping me keep my hands to myself."

"Oh..." she replied, feeling herself turn red. The man had a point. She couldn't think of a single square inch of her apartment that didn't bring up some rather... vivid... memories. "When did we turn into raving sex maniacs?"

"I think it's more about making up for lost time than anything else," he said, pressing a kiss into her forehead. "Now get out of bed before I change my mind and have my way with you."

"You're assuming you could," she smirked, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"I don't think it would take all that much convincing," he shot back, licking his lips as he let his gaze travel down her naked body, the undisguised hunger in his eyes sending blood rushing to her nether regions.

"Point taken," she said quickly, climbing out of bed before she had a chance to change her mind. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower first."

"No rush," he mumbled as he fell back against the bed with a loud thud. "I'm only gonna need cold water anyway."

She would have laughed, except for the fact that a cold shower was exactly where she was headed herself...


	11. Chapter 11

**Bruised & Battered,  
****Chapter Eleven**

"I really don't understand the appeal of spending five dollars on a cup of coffee," Jimmy said as they joined a seemingly never-ending line of caffeine addicts itching to get their next fix.

"Nobody's forcing you to have some fancy, whipped-cream-topped, syrup-drizzled concoction," Annie replied distractedly as she reviewed the available selection. "You _can_ have just regular coffee."

"We could have grabbed something at the diner near your place," he argued, glaring at the grungy-looking twenty-something who tried to cut in line in front of them. "Good food, good coffee, what more could you ask for?"

"Privacy," she said. "They know us there."

"So?"

"So they also know Marco, and Daisy," she explained.

"Again, so?" he repeated, frowning at her. "Were we planning on keeping this relationship a secret from everyone?"

"Not really," she sighed, "though I guess that is one of the things we do need to discuss."

"Annie-"

"Look, we needed a place that was both public yet reasonably private, and this place fits the bill. Plus it has coffee, so it's a win-win in my book."

"Just how private are we talking about?" he whispered in her ear as he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Not that private, you pervert," she said with a laugh, amazed at her partner's ability to switch gears that fast. "Didn't that cold shower do anything for you?"

"Oh, it did plenty," he assured her as he nuzzled her neck, "but I'm pretty sure I'm all recovered now." He pulled her closer, leaving very little doubt in her mind that her partner would indeed be quite...up...to the task.

She struggled for some appropriate snarky comeback, but all the could think of was how the doors in the bathroom stalls went all the way down to the floor.

Which meant they were really quite private.

Not to mention fairly soundproof...

"Your turn," her partner said, startling her.

"Uh?"

"Coffee?" he said, motioning to the fresh-faced barista staring expectantly at her from just a few feet away.

"Right," she replied as she took a few steps forward, desperately trying to banish the rather graphic images her brain insisted on presenting her with.

She wasn't a prude by any means, but she'd never really understood the point of sex in public places; she'd always felt that some things just belonged behind closed doors.

Right now, though, she had absolutely no problemunderstanding the appeal. The fear of getting caught, the knowledge that people were feet away, blissfully unaware of what was happening, all coming together to fuel an adrenaline rush that made everything sharper, more intense...

"Ma'am?"

She stared at the perky blonde girl behind the counter, realizing she'd once again gotten sidetracked by her suddenly oh-so-very-fertile imagination. What the hell was wrong with her? It was all her partner's fault; the man had turned her into a freaking nymphomaniac!

"Problem, Boots?" Jimmy enquired, the laughter in his voice unmistakable.

She was going to kill him.

Well, maybe not kill him, but definitely make him beg for mercy...

"Your order?" the girl asked again, looking at her as if she, too, knew exactly what was going through her head.

Her partner was definitely going to suffer for this...

"I'll have a Strawberry Frappucino," she told the girl, handing her a twenty dollar bill, and taking no small amount of pride in the fact that her voice sounded perfectly normal.

Okay, so maybe 'perfectly normal' was a bit of an overstatement, but close enough.

After putting in her order and giving Annie her change, the barista turned her attention to Jimmy. "How can I help you?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"I'll just have a regular coffee," her partner replied as he handed over a couple of rumpled dollar bills. "Biggest one you've got. I was up all night, barely got any sleep, so I'm definitely in need of a pick-me-up..."

"You sure I can't get you anything else? Maybe something to nibble on?" she asked, making it pretty clear her offer wasn't limited to items listed on the menu.

"Nah, " Jimmy replied, seemingly oblivious to the girl's advances. "I'm good," he added as he pocketed the change she handed and started to move towards the pick-up counter.

"You know that girl was hitting on you, right?" Annie asked her partner as they waited for their drinks, watching as their fellow customers jostled for space at the crowded counter.

"Jealous?" he teased, grinning at her.

"You wish," she smirked as they retrieved their drinks. There was absolutely no reason to be jealous, and yet... Try as she might, she just couldn't seem to quiet that little voice inside her head that kept insisting that Nathalie had probably thought the very same thing up until just a few days ago...

"Nice drink," her partner snickered as he surveyed the whipped-cream-topped pink concoction.

"So I like to be girly once in a while," she shrugged. "Sue me."

"No complaints about you being a girl, I assure you" he said in a low voice as he let his fingers trail down her bare arm.

She shivered at the contact, cursing her partner's ability to reduce her to a puddle with just a touch. Work was certainly going to be... challenging... if all she could think about was ripping his clothes off every time they touched, no matter how innocently.

Not that there was even remotely innocent about what her partner was up to right now, mind you...

"Jimmy."

"Yes?"

"Talk, remember?"

"Uh-uh."

"And hands?"

"Off, I know, sorry," he said as he let his hand fall way.

"The sooner we get this over with," she pointed out, "the sooner we can go home and get naked."

"Definitely a plan I can get behind," her partner chuckled as he led her towards a couple of free seats.

The secluded sitting areas peppered throughout the store had always appealed to her. She'd spent many a morning here, nestled in one of the overstuffed armchairs, sipping coffee as she lost herself in her latest literary acquisition. However, she now realized these might prove to be a little _too_ private, considering she couldn't seem to keep her hands to herself...

"It's not fair," she mumbled, realizing only too late she'd said the words aloud.

"What's not fair?" her partner asked, looking at her quizzically as he settled into his chair.

"One small touch, no matter how innocent, and I'm reduced to a quivery puddle of need, wanting nothing more than to rip off your clothes and jump your bones!"

"And the problem is?" he asked, grinning broadly at her, thoroughly amused by the effect he had on her. Damn him! She resisted the urge to slap him, not so much because he didn't deserve it, but because she was more than a little afraid of what that might lead to, public place or not...

"You wouldn't find this so funny if you were the one who lost it every time we got close," she growled in frustration, shaking her head in an effort to reign in her suddenly-filthy-imagination.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Do I sound like I'm kidding?" she asked miserably. "This is never going to work, Jimmy."

"Annie-"

"The job..." she continued, cutting him off. "Every day, we put our lives on the line. And it's not just our lives, either. The rest of the team depends on us keeping our heads in the game, not to mention witnesses and innocent by-standers..."

"You're over-reacting," her partner said gently. "This is all just... new. You gotta give us some time to figure things out."

"We don't have the luxury of time," she argued, shaking her head. "Sooner or later, someone's going to wind up dead because of us. Are you going to be able to live with that?"

"This isn't really about work, is it?" he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"This isn't about me running scared, if that's what you're hinting at," she said defensively.

"Isn't it?" he asked, studying her intently. "I'm not letting you go again, Boots. Not without a fight."

"I don't want you to let go. I'm just... scared," she admitted, shoulders hunched in defeat.

"Scared is okay," he whispered, leaning in close. "It'll be okay. We'll figure it out."

"I know," she sighed as she rested her forehead against his. "Really, I do. I'm just-"

She was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Cursing softly, she fished it out of her pocket, knowing who it was even without having to look at the caller ID.

"This is Annie," she said, mouthing a silent apology to her partner before turning her attention to the person on the other end of the line. She hung up a minute later, intent on filling Jimmy on the situation but the look on his face stopped her dead in her tracks. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"You went into U.S. Marshal mode the minute you picked up that phone," he answered, beaming at her.

"So?" she asked, still not getting it.

"You forgot all about me, about us, you were just... on the job."

"And that's... good?"

"Yeah," he chucked softly, pulling her into his lap. "That's very good."

"Why is that, exactly?" she asked, frowning.

"Let's just say I don't think working together is going to be a problem... So, new case?"

"Yeah."

"When do they need us?"

"ASAP," she replied, sighing as she turned around to face him. "So much for us talking."

"We'll have plenty of time to talk," he assured her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she told him before capturing his lips in a deep, slow kiss.

"Unless you want to explain why we're two hours late getting there, you might want to stop doing that," he partner whispered against her mouth, hands coming to rest on her hips. "For the record, you're not the only one with impulse-control issues. It's taking all I have not to drag you to the nearest semi-private corner I can find and have my way with you."

"Two hours, uh?" she chuckled as she slowly pulled away from him. "I'm _definitely_ gonna hold you to that one," she said, reluctantly getting to her feet.

"Looking forward to it," her partner replied, a huge grin on his face. "For now, though, how about we go catch some bad guys?" he asked as he got up and fished the car keys out of his front pocket. "Besides," he shot back as he started to make his way towards the exit, "as so you aptly put it earlier, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go home and get naked..."

"Nice to know you have your priorities straight," she snickered as she fell into step with him, punching him in the arm for good measure. They settled into an easy back-and-forth and, by the time they made it back to the truck, any doubts she might have had about their ability to work together had completely vanished.

On impulse, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"What was that for?"

"I just... I'm glad we... did this."

"This?" he asked, clearly amused at her rather pathetic attempt at articulating her feelings. "You're glad we... went out for coffee?"

"Jimmy-"

"Glad we... had Chinese for dinner last night?"

"Damn it, you know exactly-"

"Glad we... took Fifty-Nine for a walk before leaving this morning?"

"God, you're impossible!" she exclaimed, resisting the urge to punch him. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"

"Yep," he replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're an ass," she mumbled, rolling her eyes at him in mock exasperation.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he replied, looking sickeningly happy about that fact. "Now, let's go kick some fugitive ass, shall we?"

"Let's," she said with a laugh as she climbed into the truck, settling in the passenger seat. She watched as her partner started the engine and pulled into traffic, attention focused on the road ahead.

They really were going to be okay...


End file.
